Virat Kohli Becomes 1st Indian To Achieve This Unique Feat In ODIs

Virat Kohli broke a multitude of records en route an unbeaten 160 as India romped to a 124-run win over hosts South Africa to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the six-match series. The Indian skipper not only went past Sourav Ganguly to become the Indian ODI captain with most hundreds to his name but also broke another Ganguly record. Kohli became the first Indian to score 100 or more runs by running in an ODI innings and only the 5th batsman overall. The 29-year-old smashed 12 fours and two sixes in his record-breaking innings at Newlands, meaning he scored exactly 100 runs by running.

Ganguly's 98 runs through running in his innings of 130 against Sri Lanka in 1999 was the previous best for India. Former India coach and South African batsman Gary Kirsten, with 112 runs, accumulated the most runs through running in his innings of 188 against UAE in 1996.

Other batsmen to achieve this unique record are Faf du Plessis (103 vs Sri Lanka in 2017), Adam Gilchrist (102 vs Zimbabwe in 2004) and Martin Guptill (101 vs England in 2013).

What makes Kohli's record more astonishing is the fact that after the match he admitted he was struggling with cramps during the marathon innings.

"I was cramping towards the end but I knew I had to stay until the end to get us 300. These are the times when you are tested mentally as well as physically. We wanted to give the spinners the pressure of defending today and it worked out. The intensity will be more in the fourth game because we can't lose this series anymore. I'm sure they'll come all guns blazing so we want to close that door," said the Indian skipper.

Kohli's unbeaten 160 off 159 balls is the highest individual score by an Indian batsman against South Africa in South Africa, going past Sourav Ganguly's 127 at Johannesburg in 2001.

Kohli also became the first Indian batsman to score a hundred against South Africa at Newlands. Only Ganguly previously had an ODI century at this ground, but that came against Kenya in March 2003.

Records kept tumbling as Kohli's inning progressed. He also became the Indian ODI captain with most hundreds to his name.

He went past Ganguly again, who has 11 centuries in 142 innings. Kohli now boasts of 12 hundreds as skipper but in only 43 innings.

Kohli, with 318 runs in this series so far, now also has the most runs for a visiting batsman in a bilateral ODI series against South Africa in South Africa. Ricky Ponting, with 283 runs in 2001-02, was the previous best.